After hearing from state cannabis regulators, law enforcement leaders and adult-use licensees, members of the New York State Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis are now taking a fresh look at enforcement, New York’s cannabis social equity investment fund and other key issues affecting the rollout of the state’s legal weed market.
“I just think it’s somewhat in disarray,” state Sen. Joe Griffo said of the rollout after the marathon hearing.
Regulators at the hearing “indicated there are challenges,” Griffo told NY Cannabis Insider. “I see them as problems and they’re problems that need to be confronted and addressed.”
Griffo, a Central New York Republican who voted against legalizing cannabis in 2021, told NY Cannabis Insider that the hearing left him wondering if the Office of Cannabis Management is properly structured, and whether the agency has the resources it needs to carry out the duties the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act requires.
OCM officials seem to have difficulty communicating with municipal officials, especially regarding enforcement of illegal shops, Griffo said. The hearing left him wondering if OCM needs more enforcement power, but also whether legislation could help solve many of regulators’ problems.
“The Office of Cannabis Management seems still to be in flux to a certain extent, and I don’t know that many of the questions that were raised were adequately addressed,” Griffo said, adding that he thinks there have been both communication and coordination issues at play.
During the Oct. 30 hearing, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda told senators that unlicensed shops have multiplied across New York amid the state’s slow marijuana retail rollout. As many stakeholders have worried that grey market shops could undermine the legal market, Miranda said many consumers at illegal shops assume the stores are licensed.
“The lack of licensing, oversight and control not only creates health and safety concerns, but it ……
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